Touched by Frost

The last few days have been crisp, cold, and clear. Jack Frost has magically touched the lawn, garden, nearby rooves (or roofs?). Take a look at these epimedium leaves, outlined in frosty crystals (click any image for a slightly closer view):

I plan to leave the fairy house out for the Winter again. It survived the heavy snow last year. So here's hoping it will survive again.

I love the little fairy Christmas tree with frost on it:

The Gunnera is pretty much done for this year. I should flop the fallen leaves over the crown, to protect it for Winter. Next time I go out.
These Japanese anemone leaves look pretty neat when "frosted":

The new granite bench looks beautiful, but not very inviting:

And finally, there was some really neat frost patterns on the new soil today, they look like little icy rosettes:


The landscape crew finished just in time. But the last few plants I decided I would plant in myself, and the soil surface has been frozen ever since. So finally today I got out there and finished the planting.

First step was to sink the peonies a bit deeper - you wonder what those guys were thinking, just dropping them on the soil, and pushing new soil around! Not very good for the tender buds forming for next Spring. Fortunately there was lots of soft soil underneath (not like the undiggable clay under that!), so it was easy to dig them in deeper. This is the "before" photo:

On the other side, I was able to catch them in time, and ask them to replant deeper already:

I guess there's nothing like a few days of frost to kick a gardener in the butt, and then the clear weather to allow for planting the final potted plants and bulbs that she hadn't gotten to previously. I was really pleased with myself, that I kept going until all the plants I am aware of, and all my bulbs - tulips, daffs, and even the mini irises - were planted out. I can't wait to find out the result in the Spring. But finally the new garden is "done" for this year.